The Dead

3 Pages 667 Words

“The Dead” by James Joyce is a short story of a New Year’s Eve party held by two sisters, Miss Kate and Miss Julia. Friends and Family attend the party. They have dinner and dance and sing and share memories with each other. Some memories bringing out the good emotions in people, and others bring out the bad.
All things that are emotionally attached to memories don’t always bring back pleasant memories. If someone was involved in a red car hit a car accident and him or her. Every red car that person saw could bring back painful memories. Or if it was raining when the accident happened then every time it rained it could bring back unpleasant memories. People attach things to memories to help them remember even if those memories are painful.
Shortly after that Miss Kate started to speak of a singer whom she thought had the greatest voice she had ever heard.
“His name, said Aunt Kate, “was Parkinson. I heard him when he was his prime and I think he had the purest tenor voice that was ever put into a man’s throat.” (136)
Miss Kate attached when she heard his voice and what emotions his voice made her feel with her opinion on “Parkinson’s” voice. When Miss Kate thought of the tenors voice it brought back pleasant memories because it reminded her of how she felt when she heard it.
Through experiences people make memories. People attach things to those memories emotionally that lets them remember how pleasant or painful those memories where. Some people attach such things as songs, sounds, pictures, sights or even the weather to memories. If someone was to fall in love while being at the beach then the sound of the waves crashing against the sand could bring back pleasant memories. If a couple was voted king and queen of there senior prom then the song that they danced to would bring back pleasant memories.
Gretta seemed to be troubled by something and when Gabriel asked her what she was thinking abo...